Gliding switch for overhead monorail tramways.



I s'. H. LIBBY. GLIDING SWITCH FOR OVERHEAD MONOBAIL TRAMWAYS. APPLICATION FILED "00121; 1912.

1,078,051. Patented N0v.11, 1913.

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3 SHEETS-BHEET 1.

' 4 Ilr Witnesses: Inventor": 4

egg Sam H.Libbg, Q

I His fittorfngg g S. H. LIBBY.

GLIDING SWITCH FOR OVERHEAD MONORAIL TRAMWAYS.

LPBLIOATION IILED 00121, 1912.

s. H. LIBBY.

GLIDING SWITCH FOR OVERHEAD MONORAIL TBAMWAYS. APPLICATION FILED 0bT.21, 1912.

1,078,051. Patented Nov. 11,1913.

3 SHBETB SHEET 3.

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9 /0 4 L= f I F 2 W I Witnesses: Inventor:

{ y Sam H.LibJ; g,-

UNITED STATES PATENT oFnICE.

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Overhead Monorail Tramways, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to switches for use in connection with overhead monorail tramways or runways, on which traveling cranes or hoists are operated. It sometimeshappens that the layout of tracks is such as to prevent the use of tongue switches, owing to sharp curves or confined space. The present invention aims to meet this difiicultyby providing a switch in which the' points or connecting sect-ions. of rail are secured upon a framewhich slidesjbodily on ways transverse to the tracks. This permits any given rail sections to be alined with any given pair of stub ends of trackage. The frame is shifted by an electric motor, controlled by a limit switch, which can be connected with the trolley conductor by the craneman on an approaching crane and is suitably geared to the motor so that it rotates therewith and breaks the motor circuit only when the gliding switch has reached the position selected by the craneman; all as hereinafter set forth'in detail and particularly pointed out. in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top plan view of my improved gliding switch, partly broken away; Fig. 2 is an end view thereof: Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the limit switch, partly in sectiqn; Fi.gs; 4 and 5 are sections of Fig. 3 on lines 4-4 and 55, respectively, showing the snap action devices of said switch; Fig; 6 shows one end of the traveling crane, and Figs. 7 to 10 are diagrams of the track switch in different positions.

The overhead monorail track or runway iscomposed of I-beams 1, suitably supported, and the traveling crane or hoist 2 runs on the lower flanges of said beams, being driven preferably by one or more electric motors .3.

In Fig. 1 is shown a crossing of two tracks, the stub ends of the beams 4, 5, 6 and 7 terminating a given distance apart. Transverse I-beams 8 are mounted on the Specification or Letters Patent.

Application filed October 21', 1912. Serial No. 738,870.

' ends of the track beams, said beams 8 at East being parallel and servingto support a fr'amecomposed of sections of I-beams 9, 10 and 11 connected by an angle iron 12 rivetedto their upper flanges. The lowerflanges of the beams 9, 10 and'll are adapted tb be alined with those of the track beams 4, 5, 6 and 7 so as to form with them a: continuous run- Patented nov.1 1,.; m13.

way for the'crane 2. Rollers 13 are journaled in'brackets 1 1 secured to the beams 9, 10 and 11, and'run on the lower flanges of the transverse beams 8, so that the switch frame can glide back and forth thereon.

The lengths of the sectional beams 9, 10 and 11 are such that by the movement of the frame they can be brought into alinein'ent with and'bridge the spaces between any two of the track ends. Thus in Fig. 7, section 9 connects tracks 5and 6; In, Fig. 8, section 10 connects tracks 6 and 7; InFig. 9 the same section connectstracks 4' and 5, and in Fig. 10 section 11 connects tracks 4 and 7. With three track sections or switch points,

it is therefore possible to make every necessary connection between four stud ends of track.

The mechanism for sliding the switch frame to and fro is a screw 15 rotatin' in bearings 16 in hangers 17 dependin rom 'a channel iron 18 supported by gir ers,19

resting on the beams 8. The screw is geared to an electric motor 20 supported on one of the girders, and supplied. with current through a limit "switch 21 which comprises a rotatable drum carrying two sets of segments'f22, 23, which are shown developed in Fig. 7, the segments in each set'being electrically connected. The segments co- Op erat-ewith fingers a, b, 0,.(Z, e and f, the first and last being connected tothe terminalsof the field coil 24 ofthe motor. This coil is made in two sections, onefor forward running. and one for backward running. The armature 25 is connected between said sections. 7 A brake releasing magnet 26 is in series with the armature. The finger b is connected with short lengths b. of switching conductor adjacent to the trolley conductor for one side of track 4 and the opposite side of track 7 Finger 0 .is connected to conductor 0 near oneside"of track 4 and the same side of track 5. "-Fingerd is connected to conductors d on similar sides of tracks 6 and" finger a is connected to conductors c on opposite sides of tracks 6 j traverse the frame in .one direction or the track conductor.

other. This direction will always be toward that side of the track on which lies the switching conductor which the craneman has brought'into circuit.

Suppose the switch to be standing as shown in Fig. 7. If the crane comes along track 4 and wishes to go to track 5, the craneman operates the lefthand lever to connect the switching conductor 0 with the The motor at once start-s moving the switching frame to the left (viewed from track 4) and will continue to move it until the limit switch reaches the position 31, when the circuit offinger a will be opened, and the motor will stop the gliding track switch in the position shown in Fig. 9; switch point 10 being in line with tracks 4 and 5, so that the crane can proceed. Similarly, it will appear upon tracing the circuits that the four positions x, y, 1 and 2 of the limit switch, in which the circuits of the fingers e, d, c, and b are respectively broken, correspond with the Figs. 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the drawings with respect to the ositions of the gliding switch'when said circuits are broken. The switch can be operated in either direction, and by a crane coming in either direction along any one of the four tracks.

1 It ishighly desirable that the gliding switch points he stopped as exactly in line with the track ends as possible. This means thatthe,,limit switch must be opened suddenly, and, always at the same instant in its movement-Q The mechanism which accomplishes this will now be described. The spur gear 31 driven by the motor 20 is secured upon a. shaft 32 on which are keyed two driving disks 33, 34, tne former at one end of said shaft and the latter at a point near the spur gear. Loosely sleeved upon the shaft adjacent to the driving disks are the hubs of two ratchet wheels 35. 36, said hubs being squared to engage with the interior of a drum 37 carrying the switch segments 22, 23. Each ratchet wheel has three teeth 38, two being diametrically opposite and the third half way between them; the op osite segment of 180 degrees being smooth. The teeth on one ratchet wheel face in the opposite direction to those on the other wheel.

Pivoted on the frame of the machine are two detent pawls 39, 40 adapted to engage with said teeth, and each provided with a cam lug 41 on one side. The driving disks have wipers to engage said cams and lift the pawl's. These wipers are preferably rollers 42 extendin laterally from three arms 43 pivoted to tie disks, two diametrically opposite and one midway between on one side, each arm being adjacent to a tooth 38 on the ratchet wheel. An adjusting screw 44 passes freely through each arm and is attached to an adjacent rigid arm 45 projecting from the disk. By operating the lock nuts 46 on the screw, the angular position of each roller can be accurately adjusted, so that it will trip the pawl at just the right inst-ant. A helical spring 47 is coiled on the shaft between the driving disk 33 and the ratchet wheel 35. The ends of the spring extend radially, and between them lie two pins 48, 49, one on the driving disk 33 and the other on the ratchet wheel 35.

The operation is as follows: When the motor 20 starts, it begins also to turn the shaft 32 and the driving disks 33, 34. The pin 48 at once begins to force one end of the spring 47 angularly away from the other end, the particular end so moved depending upon the direction of rotation of the shaft. This puts a tension on the spring, which is resisted hy the pin 49; one or the other of the ratchet wheels 35, 36 being locked by its pawl 39. or 40 against rotation in the direction of the shaft. The drum 37 is therefore held stationary until the rotation of the driving disk has proceeded to such a point that the roller 42 adjacent to the tooth 38. which is engaged by its pawl, slides under the-cam 41 on said pawl and disengages it from the tooth. By this time the separation of the ins 48, 49 has put considerable tension on the spring, so that when the ratchet wheel is released the drum is given a sudden angular movcment through ninety degrees, which brings the pins 48, 49 into radial alinement again. as shown in Fig. 5, in

next tooth 38 to permit a second snap of the drum to the next position. The teeth on the idle ratchet wheel simply trail under their awl.

It will be observed from a comparison of Figs. 4 and 5 that when the pawl 40 is engaging one of its end teeth, the pawl 39 lies on the smooth part of the wheel 35 midway between its end teeth. This is the condition of things when the gliding switch is at one end of its travel and the shaft 32 is about to rotate clockwise in Figs. 4 and 5. Atthe other end of said travel, the pawl 40 will be lying on the smooth part of its wheel midway between its end teeth, 'and pawl 39 will be engaging tooth 38 to retard the counter-clockwise rotation of the wheel until properly released.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operation of my invention, together with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof; but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative, and that the invention can be carried out by other means.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. The combination with the four stub ends of two monorail tramways, of a' gliding switch for connecting them,'said switch com prising three rail sections, and means for sliding them transversely into four different connectin positions, the middle section being perpendicular to the line of movement of said switch for connecting in two of said positions directly opposite ends of one or the other of said tramways, and the other two sections being oblique to said line of movement for respectively connectin one end of one tramway with the diagonal y opv posite end of theother.

2. The combination with the four stub ends of two monorail tramways, of a gliding switch for connecting them in four difierent positions, an electric motor for operatin said switch, a limit switch for stopping sai motor in any one of four positions, and means whereb said motor can be started from oints a jacent to said stub ends,

3. he combination with the four stub ends of two monorail tramways, of a gliding switch for connecting them in four different positions, an "electric motor for-operating said switch, and a rotary limit switch for said motor having a snap action and ca able of operating in either direction.

4. T e combination with the 0 stub ends of two monorail tramways, of a gliding switch for connecting them in four different positions, an electric motor for operating switch, a rotary limit switch for said motor which comprises a contact carrying drum, ratchet wheels secured thereto,

a driving disk adjacent to each wheel, a

and means for tripping the ratchet wheels com risin a detent awl engaging with each ratcl at wheel and lifters on said disks for disengaging said pawls.

6. The combmation with a gliding switch for monorail tramways, adapted to connect .two sets of stub ends of rails in four different positions, of an electric motor for shifting said switch, and a limit switch for stopping said motor which comprises. a contactcarrying drum having two wheels provided with three ratchet teeth 90 degrees apart, the teeth 'on one wheel facin "opposite to those-on the other, detent paw s cooperating with said ratchet wheels, a drivin disk adjacent to each wheel and 'provid spring,- and ins on' one 0 said disks and wheels engagln the ends of said spring.

In witness w ereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 17 day of October 1912.

' SAM H. LIBBY.

Witnesses: Room H. Bu'rranwon rm Fannnmcx Karma.

with ad- ,justabl'e lifters for said pawls, a helical 

